Gyeongnam Nonghyup Inspects Damage Sites of Watermelon Farmers and Facility Crops

Causes of Insufficient Sunlight and Frequent Rainfall

Gyeongnam Nonghyup visited watermelon farms in Daesan, Haman on the 12th to inspect the damage caused by insufficient sunlight and frequent rainfall, and to listen to the opinions of farmers.

Attending the opinion hearing were Director Jo Geunsu, Song Byeongwoo, Chairman of Haman Daesan Nonghyup, Shin Haegeun, Head of Haman County Branch, and Kim Jinwook, Director of the Rural Support Department.

This year, the sunshine duration from January to February (319 hours) has significantly decreased compared to the average year, expanding the damage to facility crops. This is 97 hours less than the average sunshine duration (416 hours) over the past 10 years.

Gyeongnam Nonghyup is conducting on-site inspections of watermelon farms and facility crop damage.
[Image provided by Gyeongnam Nonghyup]

In fact, watermelons in greenhouses ready for harvest are experiencing poor enlargement, making shipment difficult, and the watermelon size is less than half compared to the standard product (around 4 kg). This level is not enough to cover production costs, let alone generate income.

Director Jo said, “Haman is a key area accounting for 70% of the national winter watermelon production, but due to insufficient sunlight, there are issues such as poor fruit set, stunted growth, and a sharp decrease in yield, causing great concern among farmers. Gyeongnam Nonghyup will do its best to support farmers in overcoming these difficulties.”

The Rural Support Department of the National Agricultural Cooperative Federation plans to assess the damage situation in major facility crop production areas nationwide and review various support measures and methods to minimize farmers' damage.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.